How to Visit London on a Budget and Still Enjoy the Trip

London is an expensive city, but that doesn’t mean your vacation has to be. There are lots of ways to enjoy London on a budget. 

Some of the links in this post contain affiliate links. What does that mean you ask? I may earn a small commission, but you won’t pay any extra. These links also help fund and support my page.

Getting around London on a budget

London public transportation is readily accessible, easy to navigate, and best of all budget friendly.  

Rather than daily passes, London has implemented a fare capping system. This means that they have a maximum daily and weekly cost for traveling around the city.  You could take the bus, subway and tram 10 times in one day and never pay more than the max rate. But for example if you only ride the bus twice in 24 hours, it will charge you the total for those two rides.

These costs vary by zone, but this is a huge advantage for anyone traveling to London on a budget.  

Here’s what you need to know  

First, you must pick your payment method (physical credit card, payment on your phone or via an Oyster card) and use that one method for every trip you take while visiting London on a budget.  The reason for this is that the system will recognize and remember that payment method, but cannot cross reference the same credit card via different payment methods.  So for example, do not tap your credit card one day and ApplePay the next day.  

As a tourist, it is likely you will never leave Zone 1 except to go to the airport.  For zones 1-2 (central London), the maximum you will pay in a 24hr period is £8.90 ($11.75), and £44.70 ($58.25) for Monday – Sunday.  The daily rate starts the first time you tap (not at midnight).  If you tap it at 9am, the 24 period is valid until 8:59 the following morning. But the week is not based on when you first tap to pay.  It will reset every Monday.

If you travel outside Zones 1 & 2 (to the airport for example), the cap will adjust for that 24 hour period.  The cost of travel in London is a great deal, especially compared to Paris that charges tourists €30.60 for a single day unlimited pass (highway robbery).

Oyster vs tap to pay

If you have visited London before, but like me, it has been a long time, you may remember using an Oyster card.  This was a physical card used for the tube (subway), buses, and trams similar to a Metrocard in New York.  Today there is a digital version, however it is not necessary to get one, or to set up an account. 

I downloaded the TfL app, and set up an account, but it would not accept my card for payment.  I gave up after a few tries.  The app can be helpful to see travel routes and transit maps, but Google and Apple maps both provide transit directions. 

Getting from Heathrow to London on a budget 

There are two trains that go from London Heathrow Airport into the city, the Heathrow Express and the Elizabeth Line.  Both travel from Heathrow to Paddington Station where you can change trains, find a bus or grab a taxi.  The Elizabeth line runs through the city to Liverpool Street Station, then continues out farther east into the outer zones of London. 

The Heathrow Express is a direct train via a private company, whereas the Elizabeth line is part of the subway system, which means it has multiple stops.  The Heathrow Express runs every 15 minutes and takes around 15 minutes to Paddington Station, where it terminates.  The cost is £26 one way. 

The Elizabeth line takes around 30 minutes to get to Paddington Station, with trains leaving every 10 minutes from Terminals 2 & 3.  This line is also almost half the cost of the Heathrow Express at £13.90.  For anyone trying to London on the cheap, this is the best way to start.

One final note about the Elizabeth line, do not buy your ticket from the machine at Heathrow.  Instead use the tap to pay.  Even the attendants at the station will tell you to do this.  If you buy a ticket, it will not connect to your 24 hour fare capping, whereas the tap to pay will. 

Things to do in London on a budget

When most people think of large metropolitan cities, usually the term expensive comes to mind before affordable.  While London can be incredibly expensive, there are also a lot of free things to do in London. 

Sightseeing in London

Most of those instagram photos you want to share of your trip will all be free (minus the transportation).  If you don’t really care about getting a tour, or learning the in-depth history of the buildings, you can walk through the city and see all the major attractions. 

Must see locations for a first time visit to London:

• Buckingham Palace
• Big Ben
• London Eye
• Parlament
• Tower Bridge & Tower of London
• Westminster Abbey

Day tours

Maybe you are willing to splurge a little bit to get some more indepth insight into the city.  There are some budget friendly tours you can find in the city that suit different tastes and interests.  

Visit the world class museums

London is one of the best museum cities in the world.  This is not only because of the caliber of the museums, but some of the best (and most famous) ones are free. There are around 100 museums in the city that have free admission, although special exhibitions typically have a separate fee. 

Free museums in London

• Bank of England Museum: Currency history
• British Library: Literary items
• British Museum: World history
• Imperial War Museum: War history
• London Museum Docklands: City history
• Natural History Museum: Natural history
• National Gallery: Art, masterpieces
• National Maritime Museum: Maritime history 
• National Portrait Gallery: Portraits
• Science Museum: Science
• Tate: British art
• Tate Modern: Modern & contemporary art
• Victoria & Albert Museum: Art & design
• The Wallace Collection: European art

These are just some of the most popular museums.  You can find a full list of free museums in London here. 

Explore the public markets

London has some really fun (and sometimes quirky) markets full of stalls with different vendors. Peruse for free, or maybe get a bargain on a really cool vintage item to take home as a souvenir. 

A lot of these markets also have street food vendors in the market or nearby which can be quite a bit cheaper than restaurants.

• Brick Land Market
• Brixton Village
• Borough Market
• Camden Market
• Covent Garden Market
• Greenwich Market
• Portobello Road Market
• Spitalfields Market
• Vinegar Yard Flea Market

Some of these markets, especially the more vintage focused ones, are only open on weekends, but most are open daily. 

Stroll through a park

The draw to London is usually the activity in the city, but sometimes you need to slow down and take a break.  There are a number of large parks and gardens in the city center near many of the popular attractions and/or museums.  You can even have your own Bridgerton moment while you promenade through Hyde Park. 

• Battersea Park
• Green Park
• Hyde Park
• Kensington Gardens
• Regent’s Park
• St James Park

When to visit London on a budget

For a budget trip to London, visit during the off season. Yes, I know there’s not exactly an “off season” for London, but consider going in late fall (before the Christmas season), winter or early spring. The weather might not be great but you are guaranteed to save money.  International (long haul) flights are cheaper, there’s usually less competition for hotels, and it’s not quite as crowded.  

I’ve been to London a few times, all between November and January.  While I’ve had some rainy days, I also had some really beautiful Fall/Winter weather.  

Flights to London

Because London is such a popular travel destination, and airport hub, you can find some great flight deals.  For my past trip, I flew Delta using my Skymiles.  In November, they had a sale for flights to Europe with travel between January and February.  I was able to find a flight using around 34000 miles (including my 15% Delta credit card discount) plus the cost of taxes. London has the highest airport taxes you’ll find for airports in the world. So unfortunately you pay them whether you use points or cash. 

The best way to travel to London on a budget is to search for flight deals through Google Flights. You can use their ‘explore’ tool to find the best rates in the next 6 months.  Or set an alert for either specific dates, or any good deals that pop up from your city to London.  The more flexible you can be with your dates, the more likely you are to find a good deal for a London budget trip.

London hotels on a budget

Outside of your airfare, your hotel is going to be the most expensive part of your trip.  

Some people think that staying in London for cheap means you have to stay in a hostel.  In my early 20s I stayed in a few hostels, but I’ve evolved past that era of my life. If you still enjoy the hostel lifestyle, take a look at Hostelworld.  However, there are thousands of hotels in London, which means with a little research, you can find a hotel in London on a budget. 

Read my review: Why The Lancaster Hotel London is the perfect budget friendly hotel

There are a couple of ways to have a low cost stay in London.  The first is to learn a little about points and miles.  With credit card points, you can transfer them to a hotel partner, like Hyatt, and effectively stay for free.  Even if you think of your points in terms of cash, the ROI you get for booking hotels (or flights) is much higher than if you were to get cash back.

The Best Travel Credit Card for Beginners

How to Earn Airline Points without Opening a Credit Card

Travel hacking is not for everyone, so for regular hotel bookings, you 100% will not find a good deal booking directly with a hotel.  Third party booking sites will always have better deals, and sometimes with extra perks as well like free breakfast.  I typically search 3-4 sites simultaneously to find the best deal.  Below are the booking sites four I use most frequently right now.  

Note: Never book your flight through third party sites, especially Expedia.  I’ve heard too many horror stories.  

Hotel booking tips

• Book far in advance if possible
• Book a refundable room with free cancellation
• Check sites once a month to see if prices have dropped, and if so rebook
• Look for last minute deals (4 weeks or less).  Hotels will often heavily discount rooms to clear out inventory
• Always check reviews.  I usually try to stay somewhere with a rating of 8/10 or higher.  But sometimes I’ll dip into the 7/10 range if the price is right.  Sometimes negative reviews are complete nonsense, and others are huge red flags.  While I may not always find the best deal on Booking.com, I find their site usually has some of the most comprehensive reviews. 

Beware: many deals on London hotels are twin rooms without windows.  If you are cool with that, go for it.  If not, make sure you’re checking the room types before you go to check out. 

Eating on a budget

Dining out in London can be pricey.  Even eating only two meals a day, I still averaged spending around $50 per day for food.  For breakfast or lunch, you can try to find food at small local mini markets or bakeries and cafes, which will often be cheaper than at a regular restaurant or pub.  At breakfast however, you can find deals on a “full English” breakfast for under £10, which is usually a fair amount of food. 

Beware of ordering water in London as you might end up paying for it.  I’m too American to understand paying for water at a restaurant.  This isn’t specifically a London thing, it’s an epidemic across Europe.  I’ve only been to a few cities where I have been given (free) water without asking. 

If you ask for water, make sure you clearly state you want tap water, otherwise they’ll bring you a bottle.  And after a while, that price will start to add up. 

London on a budget FAQs

Additional posts on London

Additional posts on England